Podcast Summary
Daily Show writing experience: Moving from stand-up comedy to writing for The Daily Show comes with unique challenges such as adjusting to a dedicated writing role and a collaborative environment.
Transitioning from stand-up comedy to writing for a late-night show like The Daily Show comes with unique challenges. For Kat Radley, the biggest adjustment was moving from various part-time jobs to a dedicated writing role, where she could focus solely on crafting jokes all day. For David Angelo, who had experience on other shows that frequently got canceled, the stability of The Daily Show was a welcome change. Both comedians spoke about the intensity of the morning meetings, where they're encouraged to pitch jokes and ideas on the spot. Despite initial nerves, they found the collaborative environment to be rewarding. Overall, the experience of writing for The Daily Show as stand-up comics has been a valuable and exciting shift in their careers. And if you're a fan, don't forget to take advantage of the exclusive 20% discount on Daily Show merchandise at ParamountShop.com using code TDS20.
Creating welcoming workplaces: Encouraging vocal participation, sharing ideas, and creating a supportive work environment can lead to increased confidence, productivity, and creativity.
Creating a welcoming and supportive environment in a professional setting can significantly boost confidence and productivity. The speaker recalled a valuable piece of advice from a mentor who encouraged them to be vocal, pitch ideas, and not be afraid to make mistakes. This approach led to a sense of camaraderie and creativity in the workplace, where even bad jokes could inspire better ideas. The speaker emphasized that fear of failure or rejection should not hinder the sharing of ideas, as the potential rewards can outweigh the risks. The mentor's encouragement helped the speaker to become more confident and successful in their role.
Joke delivery: Successfully delivering a joke in various settings requires timing, risk-taking, and a good sense of humor. In a work setting, there's a sense of urgency to get it right, while in stand-up, performers have more chances to refine their material but face higher stakes.
Delivering a successful joke, whether it's in a morning meeting at work or on a stand-up stage, requires timing, risk-taking, and a good sense of humor. The speakers in this conversation shared their experiences with pitching jokes in various settings and how they handle the successes and failures. They acknowledged the unique pressures of each context but saw parallels in the skills required. In a work setting, there's a sense of urgency to get the joke right because the opportunity to pitch it again might be lost. In stand-up, performers have more chances to refine their material, but the stakes can feel higher due to the live audience and the potential for public embarrassment. Ultimately, they agreed that the ability to craft and deliver a good joke is a valuable skill that can bring joy and connection to both professional and personal contexts.
Topical talk show writing: Writing for a topical talk show involves a constant cycle of writing, rehearsing, rewriting, and performing with little room for repetition, requiring adaptability, resilience, and a willingness to keep up with the ever-changing news cycle.
Writing for a topical talk show like The Daily Show involves a constant cycle of writing, rehearsing, rewriting, and performing, with little room for repetition or reworking of jokes due to the disposable nature of the topics. The process can be frustrating, especially for those who value having a strong perspective and putting in the effort to craft good jokes. However, the experience of writing for different hosts and being part of the writing team has its rewards, even if the writer no longer writes for the show's main host full-time. The process requires adaptability, resilience, and a willingness to keep up with the ever-changing news cycle.
Writing for different voices: The Daily Show writers' ability to adapt their writing to different voices came from their experience and belief that voice is less about delivery and more about the joke itself. They studied their hosts and found that understanding each individual's style and humor helped them write effectively for them.
The writers of The Daily Show were uniquely skilled at adapting their writing to different voices and styles for their guest hosts. This ability came from their experience of writing for Trevor Noah as well as for correspondents and guests on the show. They found that they could package jokes into any voice, and this served them well during the guest hosting era when they had to write for various hosts in just a few days. The writers believed that voice is less about the way a joke is told and more about the joke itself, and that most people's voices are the funniest part of how they deliver their jokes. They also emphasized that writing for different hosts required them to think about the types of jokes and humor that would suit each individual, but the actual voice adaptation came naturally to them. The writers also mentioned that they would study the hosts they were writing for by watching their stand-up specials and episodes of their shows to help them get into the right mindset for writing. Overall, their ability to adapt their writing to different voices was a valuable skill that helped make The Daily Show a successful and entertaining program.
Daily Show impact on Kat's comedy: Working at The Daily Show honed Kat's joke writing skills, taught her ruthless evaluation, clarity and execution importance, and reinforced these lessons as a correspondent.
Working on a comedy show like The Daily Show has significantly impacted Kat's stand-up comedy and joke writing abilities. The fast-paced environment has given her the confidence to write and produce jokes more efficiently, while also teaching her to be more ruthless in evaluating the quality of her material. Additionally, her experience as a writer for the show has helped her understand the importance of clarity and execution in comedy, as well as the difference between writing for oneself and writing for others. The transition from writing for the show to becoming a correspondent and being on camera has further reinforced these lessons, as she now has to personally deliver the jokes and deal with the consequences. Overall, her time at The Daily Show has been invaluable in honing her comedic skills and work ethic.
Parenting and comedy career: Becoming a parent brings new challenges to a comedy career, including finding time for stand-up and incorporating personal experiences into writing, while also appreciating the stability of the job during the adjustment period.
Becoming a parent and transitioning from writing to correspondent work in comedy has brought new challenges for Josh Gondelman. While he initially thought his days would be lighter, he now finds himself pulled in multiple directions and having to write jokes for himself and others. Additionally, being a new parent, specifically having twins, has brought a new presence and perspective to his life, making him appreciate the stability of his late-night job. However, finding time for stand-up comedy has become more difficult due to his family commitments, leaving him feeling tired and drained. Despite these challenges, Josh remains grateful for his job and the ability to find humor in his personal life, which he has only recently started feeling again after going through the trauma of labor and adjusting to parenthood. Overall, the experience of becoming a parent has brought new challenges and perspectives to Josh's comedy career.
Comedy Breaks and Returning to the Scene: Comedians David Angelo and an unnamed woman discuss the challenges of returning to stand-up comedy after personal breaks, focusing on their current experiences and shorter format specials (24 minutes) to cater to the changing audience attention span.
Both comedians, David Angelo and the unnamed woman, are navigating the challenges of returning to the stand-up comedy scene after taking a break for personal reasons. They are focusing their material on their current experiences, with the woman specifically focusing on her experiences as a parent. Angelo has recently released a self-produced YouTube comedy special, "New York Legend," which is a shorter format, 24-minute special. He plans to continue releasing shorter specials to build a catalog. The conversation also touched on the changing nature of comedy and the audience's attention span, with 24 minutes being seen as a more manageable length for viewers at home.
Performances and Projects: Comedians Cat Radley, Josh Johnson, and David Angelo shared their upcoming performances and projects, including social media handles, websites, and merchandise discounts.
Cat Radley and David Angelo, guests on The Daily Show Podcasts, shared their upcoming performances and projects with the audience. Cat Radley, a comedian and actress, will be performing in New York and on the road, which fans can follow on her social media platforms and website, catradley.com. She encourages fans to check her out there to avoid scammers. Josh Johnson, another comedian, will be performing at various locations and can be found on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube under the handle Josh Johnson Comedy. He also sells replacement blades for his razor company, Western Raiser, at a lower price than competitors on his website, westernraiser.com. Lastly, David Angelo, also a comedian, can be found on Instagram and Twitter under the handle Mr. David Angelo, and he sells high-quality razors with replaceable blades made in America on westernraiser.com. Josh Johnson also puts up stand-up comedy on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube weekly. Fans can take advantage of a 20% discount on The Daily Show merchandise by using the code TDS20 at ParamountShop.com. Tune in to Comedy Central at 11 pm ET/10 pm CT to watch The Daily Show, and stream full episodes on Paramount+.